WASHINGTON (BP)–The parents of a 16-year-old in Texas have agreed to a court order not to force their daughter to have an abortion.
A Travis County District Court judge authorized the order Oct. 28, one day after the parents agreed in writing no longer to coerce their daughter to abort her child, who is at 14 weeks gestation, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) reported.
The girl’s mother took her to two different Austin abortion clinics, including Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region, in an effort to make her undergo the lethal procedure. Neither the girl, who was not identified, nor the baby’s father wants an abortion, but her parents had continued to say they would force her to have one, according to ADF.
The judge in the case had issued a temporary restraining order Oct. 18 to block the parents’ effort before validating the court order that is in force throughout the remainder of the pregnancy.
The girl became even more convinced she did not want an abortion after she received information from a pro-life advocate who was praying outside one of the clinics, ADF reported.
The court’s actions came in response to the efforts of two ADF-affiliated lawyers — Stephen Casey of Round Rock, Texas, and Gregory Terra of Georgetown, Texas — and Allan Parker, president of The Justice Foundation in San Antonio.
“The parents made the right decision, one which they, their daughter, the baby’s father, and especially their grandchild, will appreciate,” Terra said of their decision to sign the court order.
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Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press.
